Buckner producers make U.S. Top 100

Brad Nielson and Doug Ball, from the Buckner Company’s Idaho Falls division, were ranked in the Top 100 of Insurance Business America’s Top Producers of 2018.

Insurance Business America is a magazine highlighting best practices within the insurance industry. It features industry reports recognizing achievements of key individuals and businesses. It is published in five countries and in Asia.

Both Ball and Nielson have more than 40 years’ experience in the insurance industry, a Buckner Company news release said.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our team,” Buckner Company CEO and Owner Terry Buckner said in the release. “These are true professionals who represent the best the industry has to offer. Their commitment to providing truly exceptional services to their clients and carrier partners is the secret behind their success. They are the standard which our industry should always strive for.”

Former I.F. resident named to 20 Under 40 list

An Idaho Falls native was honored Friday in Pocatello as one of the Idaho State Journal’s third annual Twenty Under 40 award winners.

The awards ceremony was held at Stephens Performing Arts Center on the Idaho State University campus.

Spencer Gilbert, of Pocatello, is the CEO of two bioscience companies, NellOne Therapeutics and Enzerna BioSciences. The Idaho Falls native studied at Idaho State University before attending Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the University of Oxford in England, the Journal reported.

“I’ve worked in the White House, the U.S. Senate and advised governments both large and small,” Gilbert told the Journal.

Gilbert returned to eastern Idaho last year from Chapel Hill, N.C. A successful CEO and investor in the technology and agroscience sectors, Gilbert said his goal is to create a research and development parkway stretching from Rexburg to Twin Falls, the Journal reported.

“Our partners had the idea to purchase agricultural farms in Idaho,” Gilbert told the Journal. “And the longer we stayed here, the more we started to see the wage and educational problems. We decided to stay and bring as many companies as we could into the state. I have worked with giant investment firms — not a hundred million, we’re talking about hundreds of billions of dollars — to try and create a Silicon Valley-type culture in Idaho that is Idaho unique.”

Dr. Shelley contributes data for balloon kyphoplasty study

David Shelley, board-certified vascular and interventional radiologist, was a participating physician in a recently published multi-center clinical study.

The “largest of its kind” study investigated the safety and quality of life improvements after a minimally invasive procedure called balloon kyphoplasty. The procedure is used to treat painful vertebral compression fractures, a Bingham Memorial Hospital news release said.

Shelley is “a national leading authority in the treatment of vertebral compression fractures,” the release said. He was the principal investigator for the study at Bingham Memorial, where patients were enrolled in the 12-month study. He was a “significant contributor of data for the study,” which was published in the Congress of Neurological Surgeons 2018, the release said.

“When the vertebral body in the spine collapses, this is called a vertebral compression fracture. This can cause significant pain which can greatly diminish a patient’s daily quality of life, and result in social withdrawal and lack of mobility in addition to long-term medical complications like kyphosis — a hunchback or forward rounding of the back.” the release said. “Balloon kyphoplasty restores the vertebral body’s height back to normal, stabilizing the vertebral body so that it doesn’t collapse back down after the procedure, which relieves a person’s back pain, and, if present, kyphosis.”

The study included 350 Medicare-eligible patients who underwent balloon kyphoplasty due to painful acute or subacute vertebral compression fractures associated with osteoporosis or cancer, the release said.

“The results of the study indicated that balloon kyphoplasty significantly decreased back pain and disability, improved mobility and self-care abilities, and greatly improved their quality of life. In addition, narcotic medication usage was reduced as were days of bed rest and limited activity,” the release said.

Food Producers of Idaho announce Ag All-Star legislators

The Food Producers of Idaho named 76 legislators as Ag All-Stars based on their voting records on selected pieces of legislation in the 2018 legislative session.

The Food Producers of Idaho, which represents 45 different agricultural commodity and farm organizations in Idaho, annually recognizes legislators for their voting record on issues supported or opposed by the organization, a Food Producers news release said.

The Ag All-Star awards have been presented for the last 17 legislative sessions.

The following legislators were recognized as 2018 Food Producers of Idaho Ag All-Stars:

SENATORS — Blackfoot, Steven Bair; Idaho Falls, Dean Mortimer; Rexburg, Brent Hill; Terreton, Jeff Siddoway.

REPRESENTATIVES — Bone, Thomas Loertscher; Blackfoot, Neil Anderson; Idaho Falls, Barbara Ehardt, Wendy Horman, Jeff Thompson, Bryan Zollinger; Pingree, Julie VanOrden; Rexburg, Ronald Nate, Dell Raybould; St. Anthony, Karey Hanks; Stanley, Dorothy Moon; Terreton, Van Burtenshaw.

Attorney McBride receives Idaho Professionalism Award

Michael R. McBride received the Idaho Professionalism Award at the annual Workers Compensation Section of the Idaho State Bar held in Boise in March, a McBride Roberts &Romrell law firm news release said.

This award is presented each year to an experienced workers’ compensation attorney who has “a proven track record of effective advocacy and collegiality with his peers who both prosecute and defend workers compensation claims,” the release said.

McBride, who started his legal practice in Idaho Falls in 1985, has been an Idaho Trial Lawyer Certified Workers Compensation Specialist since 1996 and an Idaho Trial Lawyers Certified Civil Trial Specialist since 1999, the release said. This specialist status requires extensive trial experience and favorable peer and administrative review.

Dustin joins McBride Roberts &Romrell law firm

McBride Roberts &Romrell, Attorneys have announced that Michael G. Dustin has joined the firm, a firm news release said.

Dustin is an Idaho Falls native who graduated from Skyline High School. After spending several years in the Pacific Northwest, Dustin returned home to Idaho a few years ago and now lives in Ammon with his family.

Dustin spent the first part of his legal career representing employers and insurers in workers’ compensation cases primarily in the state of Washington, the release said. His practice in Washington included extensive litigation in administrative proceedings before the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals and in Washington Superior Court.

Dustin represents clients in workers’ compensation and personal injury matters throughout eastern Idaho.

For information, visit mcbrideandrob erts.com or call 208-525-2552.

Larsen joins Echelon Group’s eastern Idaho Office

Echelon Group has added Dawn Larsen to its eastern Idaho team.

Larsen joins Echelon Group from HUB International, formerly Premier Insurance, where she worked as a consultant for more than 13 years, an Echelon Group news release said. Larsen also is actively involved in the community, most notably as past-president of the Blackfoot Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

“Dawn is one of the top producing and most well-respected Benefit Consultants in eastern Idaho.” said Donald Reiman, president said in the release. “Her expert ability to meet the individual needs of her clients is a perfect match for our service-oriented company.”

Echelon Group’s Idaho Falls office is at 1070 Riverwalk Drive, Suite 254. For information, visit echelongroup.com or call 208-870-4578.

Parkinson promoted to V.P. role at D.L. Evans Bank

Wendy Parkinson has been promoted to the position of assistant vice president cash management and business development officer for the eastern Idaho area, a bank news release said.

Parkinson has been with D.L. Evans Bank since 2009. In her new position, she will continue helping business clients with their cash management, remote deposit and merchant services needs, the release said.

Parkinson works at the Ammon branch at 2634 E. Sunnyside Road. She can be reached by phone at 208-522-0593.

Gazda joins TitleOne as escrow assistant

Megan Gazda has joined TitleOne as an escrow assistant in the company’s Idaho Falls office.

Gazda graduated from Idaho State University with a bachelor of science in communication, a TitleOne news release said. She has 10 years of customer service experience and has spent four years in the real estate industry.

30-year museum volunteer to receive state history award

LaDean Harmston, of Idaho Falls, received a 2018 Esto Perpetua Award from the Idaho State Historical Society at a ceremony in Boise on Monday.

The award, which takes its name from the state’s motto, meaning “let it be perpetual,” recognizes people and organizations who have made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of Idaho history, a Museum of Idaho news release said. Harmston, one of 12 Esto Perpetua Award honorees for 2018, has volunteered at the Museum of Idaho in various capacities for 30 years.

Harmston’s work at the Bonneville Museum, as it was then known, began in the late 1980s after she attended a talk on local geography there with her late husband, Larry. The couple heard the museum was looking for volunteers, and they signed up immediately.

The Harmstons helped create the Eagle Rock, USA, exhibit on the museum’s ground floor, the release said. The exhibit, a detailed walk-through of 10 storefronts as they appeared in Eagle Rock (now Idaho Falls) around the turn of the last century, remains a popular fixture of the museum.

“It was all just a group of dedicated volunteers back then,” Harmston remembers. “The first person that got paid was the janitor.”

After serving in a number of capacities for the museum, including building up the collection of artifacts and working the front desk, Harmston has spent the last several years working in the museum’s archives.

There, she catalogues documents and artifacts and serves as a resource for writers, researchers, media and all who come looking for answers in eastern Idaho’s past.

City of Idaho Falls Parks and Recreation Director Greg Weitzel has been named to the National Recreation and Park Association board of directors, the city said Monday in a news release.

The release said the board of directors is made up of up to 30 individuals from across the country who “demonstrate strong leadership skills, combined with passion and expertise in parks, recreation and conservation. Board members are made up of parks and recreation professionals from cities, corporations, industry suppliers, commercial businesses, volunteers and civic groups from across the country.”

The board, according to the its website, is a nonprofit organization “dedicated to ensuring that all Americans have access to parks and recreation for health, conservation and social equity.”

“I’m honored to be selected to serve on the NRPA Board of Directors representing Idaho Falls, southeastern Idaho and the mountain west. Helping to chart the future of parks, recreation and conservation in America is a great privilege and responsibility, I’m looking forward to this opportunity to serve,” Weitzel said in the release.

Medicine Program graduates three residents

Drs. Giovanni Crosland, Michael Doermann and Mark Lupton have graduated from Bingham Memorial Hospital’s Internal Medicine Residency program. They are the second group of residents to graduate since the program’s start in 2014, a program news release said.

A primary goal of Bingham’s residency program is to introduce doctors to rural health care, with the goal that they will want to stay in or nearby the region after graduation.

“This has proven to be quite successful as three of the five residents who have graduated from Bingham Memorial’s program so far have chosen to stay in eastern Idaho,” Bingham Memorial CEO Jake Erickson said in the release.

The current three graduates have accepted positions at the following clinics:

n Dr. Giovanni Crosland has taken a position in Tremonton, Utah, at Bear River Valley Hospital, working in an outpatient internal medicine clinic.

n Dr. Michael Doermann has taken a position in Provo, Utah, at Utah Valley Hospital, working in an outpatient internal medicine clinic.

n Dr. Mark Lupton has taken a position at Mountain View Hospital in Idaho Falls. He will split his time between an outpatient clinic and the inpatient hospitalist service.

Additionally, four new resident physicians are joining Bingham’s Internal Medicine Residency program, starting in July, the release said. The four new residents, who hold their Doctor of Osteopathy (DO), are: Dr. Megan Hubbard, who graduated from Pacific Northwest University in Yakima, Wash.; Drs. Sean Huggins and Tyler Wood, who graduated from Midwestern University in Glendale, Ariz.; and, Dr. Mikelle Rogers, who graduated from AT Still University in Kirksville, Mo.

All of Bingham Memorial’s residents are studying internal medicine, which is a medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. These diseases include treating patients with high blood pressure, diabetes, heart failure, coronary artery disease and chronic pulmonary disease. The residents will spend the next three years training throughout eastern Idaho to become eligible for board certification in internal medicine.

Residency is a required step and the final stage of a physician’s graduate medical education before they go into practice.

Anderson is new Central Fire District chief

Carl Anderson has been hired as the Central Fire District Fire chief.

Anderson has served as a volunteer with Central Fire District since 1995, a fire district news release said. He became the assistant fire chief on May 1, 2013.

Jared Giannini has been hired as the assistant to the chief. He will assist Anderson with day-to-day operations. He has served as a volunteer with Central Fire District since July 2012. The assistant to the chief is a new full-time position approved by the commissioners April 12, the Jefferson Star reported.

Anderson replaces Bill Pope, who was selected as the fire chief in February, but resigned in April leading to Anderson filling the role as the interim fire chief, the Jefferson Star reported.

The Central Fire District, which has about 80 part-time volunteers, serves Jefferson County from four fire stations spread throughout the county.

Museum of Idaho welcomes new member

Carolyn Harwood has joined the Museum of Idaho’s board of trustees.

Harwood is a loan officer at Washington Federal in Idaho Falls. She has worked with Washington Federal for nearly two years as a customer service representative, personal banker, and loan officer, a museum news release said. She is a member of the Idaho Mortgage Lender Association and the Greater Idaho Falls Realtor Association. She graduated from Idaho State University in 2015 with a degree in political science.

“I believe the Museum is a wonderful resource in our community for all ages,” Harwood said in the release. “I am excited to be involved at such a foundational point in the history of the Museum. With the current expansion underway, and the wonderful world premiere of the Discover Steampunk exhibit, I could not think of a better time to be involved.”

The museum’s Board of Trustees is comprised of 16 executives, educators, and prominent locals who are collectively responsible for overseeing the institution’s strategic direction and operations. Board members serve three-year terms.

Fall River Electric elects new board representatives

Brent Robson and Dede Draper were re-elected to Fall River Electric’s board on June 16 during the utility’s annual meeting. Newcomer Brent “Husk” Crowther also was elected to the board.

Robson represents members in the Tetonia area of Teton Valley while Draper represents those in the Ashton and southern Fremont County area, a co-op news release said. Crowther was the top vote-getter in a seven-way race for the board position representing owner-members who live in Madison and Jefferson counties. The Madison-Jefferson race was a result of 15-year board member Dan Skene not being eligible for re-election due to having reached the term limits specified in the cooperative’s bylaws.

Crowther has lived in the Rexburg area for over 16 years and is president of Civilize, a consulting engineering firm based in Rexburg, the release said. He has an MBA in strategy and finance in addition to being a registered professional engineer. Crowther has served on the Madison Economic Partners board, the Eastern Idaho Water Rights Coalition board and also serves on the Rexburg Area Chamber of Commerce board.

Robson, of Tetonia, has served on the Fall River Electric board for six years and was a former Teton County Commissioner. He is self-employed in the gravel and excavation business.

Draper has been on the board for nearly four years and serves as its secretary/treasurer, chairwoman of the Administrative Committee and a representative and board member of the Idaho Consumer Owned Utilities Association.

All three elected board members will each fill a three-year term extending into mid 2021 and will join the other seven members that comprise the board charged with overseeing the co-op’s business affairs and ensuring it remains financially sound.

ISU hires Health Education director

POCATELLO — The Idaho State University Institute of Rural Health in the Kasiska Division of Health Sciences has hired Diana Campanella Schow to head an area health education center, created to improve access to primary care in southeast Idaho’s underserved and rural communities.

Schow took the helm this spring as center director of the Southeast Idaho Area Health Education Center on the ISU campus, a university news release said. The center, one of three in the state, will serve 24 counties in the region and promote interdisciplinary training for ISU health professions students and continuing education resources for working health practitioners. Its Area Health Education Center Scholars Program will provide health professions students with specific opportunities to focus on rural and underserved communities.

Schow holds a doctorate in physical activity and public health from Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany, where she served as a research associate and graduated magna cum laude in 2017. She also holds master’s degrees in medical anthropology and health education from ISU, and a bachelor’s degree in mass communications/public relations from University of Utah.

Schow, who’s been affiliated with ISU since 2002, has served as coordinator of the Hispanic Health Projects, a grants specialist, and an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Anthropology and ISU Honors Program.

Kleer names area dentist to influential dentists list

An area dentist has been honored by a dental membership platform for his success across multiple categories.

Dr. Tom Anderson of Premier Dental Care in Idaho Falls was named an honoree in Kleer’s 2018 Most Influential Dentists in America program. Anderson is one of three dentists from Idaho to receive the distinction, and the only recipient from eastern Idaho.

Kleer selected influential dentists from each state by gauging their success across categories including the dentists’ social media footprint, positive patient ratings, overall media presence, and leadership and philanthropic efforts, a Kleer news release said.

Dave Monahan, CEO of Kleer, said in the release that the company developed an algorithm to measure complied data in order to determine winners in each state.

“Kleer’s goal is to improve the lives of dentists and patients, so we’re happy to honor a group of altruistically minded practitioners that align with our values and who have proven themselves as dental industry advocates,” Monahan said in the release.

A full interactive map of all winners can be found at kleer.com/influencers.

Sen. Siddoway recognized for exceptional service to Idaho

The Association of Idaho Cities honored retiring state Sen. Jeff Siddoway with the Ken Harward Award on June 21 at its 71st annual conference in Boise.

The Association established the Ken Harward Award to recognize exceptional contributions benefiting the state of Idaho and its communities, an association news release said. Harward was Nampa’s city administrator and finance director for 24 years and “his visionary planning was integral to the development of the Nampa Recreation Center, the Centennial-Ridgecrest golf complex, the Nampa Civic Center and the Idaho Center,” the release said. Harward also was the association’s longest serving executive director and “worked tirelessly to build the credibility and effectiveness” of the association.

Siddoway graduated from South Fremont High School in St. Anthony and attended the University of Idaho. He served six terms in the Senate representing District 35, which includes Butte, Clark, Fremont and Jefferson counties. He was chairman of the Senate Local Government and Taxation Committee and the Senate State Affairs Committee.

Siddoway owns a sheep, elk and bison ranch and has served as president of the Idaho Wool Growers Association and as an Idaho Department of Fish and Game Commissioner.

“During his service in the Legislature, Sen. Siddoway has been a strong advocate for public school funding and for a fair and stable state tax system,” said AIC President Jeri DeLange, a City Councilor from Hayden. “He has also been an articulate defender of local government and has worked tirelessly on behalf of Idaho agriculture. We are proud to recognize Jeff Siddoway’s outstanding legacy of public service to the State of Idaho.”

I.F. mayor elected district director for the Association of Idaho Cities

Association of Idaho Cities members elected Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper as a director for District 6 for 2018-20. Casper was elected and took the oath of office June 21 during the association’s 71st annual conference in Boise where more than 400 delegates representing cities from around the state were in attendance.

The Association of Idaho Cities was formed in 1947 and is a nonpartisan, nonprofit corporation organized to serve Idaho’s 200 incorporated cities, an association news release said. The association influences policies and provides education, training and technical assistance “to strengthen the ability of city elected officials and staff to serve their communities,” the release said.

I.F. city attorney honored with state award

Idaho Falls City Attorney Randy Fife was recognized recently by the Idaho Municipal Attorney’s Association with the Dale Storer Professionalism Award.

Only two other attorneys have been recognized in the state since 2011 with the award from the Idaho Municipal Attorney’s Association, a city of Idaho Falls news release said. The award is the highest honor the association can bestow on a city attorney, the release said.

The award, presented as part of the 2018 Service and Achievement Awards, recognized Fife as an individual “attorney who has made a significant, positive contribution to the practice of Idaho municipal law through a demonstration or standard of professionalism, ethics and civility.”

Fife has practiced municipal law for more than 25 years and has been the Idaho Falls City Attorney since April 2013.

“(Fife’s) dedication to the work of ensuring fair and accessible government is always evident. One of the things that I appreciate is that just about every opportunity to interact with (him) as the city’s attorney results in more than an answer to a question,” Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper said in the release. “I usually receive an education on key governance principles. And that results in better governance. Our city is very fortunate to have an attorney of this caliber.”

National ag group honors alumni farmers

The National Agricultural Alumni and Development Association honored retired University of Idaho professor Carl Hunt as well as U of I alumni and eastern Idaho farmers Clen and Emma Atchley during the group’s annual meeting June 14 in Boise.

Hunt, a cattle physiologist, retired from the UI College of Agricultural and Life Sciences as head of the Department of Animal and Veterinary Science. He continues to oversee and support the college’s Steer-A-Year program that funds scholarships for Idaho Vandal athletes and agricultural students, a university news release said.

Hunt received the group’s Above and Beyond Partner Award, which is given to faculty or staff members who give freely of their time to further the goals of the institution’s alumni, communications, development or student services programs.

The Atchleys operate the Flying A Ranch near Ashton and produce seed potatoes, grain, alfalfa, canola and cattle. Clen Atchley received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and Emma Atchley received a bachelor’s degree in English, both from UI.

The Atchleys received the Association’s Ruby C. McSwain Outstanding Philanthropist Award. It is given to those with sustained giving to support agriculture, agricultural higher education, Extension or land-grant universities, the release said.

Salmon-Cobalt and Leadore ranger

districts welcome new district ranger

The Salmon-Challis National Forest recently announced Kyra Povirk as the new Salmon-Cobalt and Leadore District Ranger.

Povirk moved to Salmon from Greybull, Wyo., in 2001 to open an office for a small business based out of Idaho Falls. Subsequently, she started and ran her own natural resource consulting business for six years prior to joining the Bureau of Land Management’s Salmon Field Office in 2009 as a rangeland management specialist. Povirk comes to the Salmon-Challis National Forest from the BLM’s Challis Field Office, where she has worked as assistant field manager since September 2016.

“Kyra will be a great addition to the Forest Leadership Team where her rangeland ecology and management background and line officer experience will serve the Salmon-Cobalt Ranger and Leadore Ranger Districts well,” said Chuck Mark, Salmon-Challis National Forest supervisor, in a news release. “Kyra has relationships with city, county and state governments, special-use and range permittees and other external partners and cooperators which are key to successful land and resource management.”

ISU names Anita Smith

as dean of School of Nursing

Anita Smith, Ph.D., is slated to become the new dean of Idaho State University’s School of Nursing in late August.

Smith will oversee programs at both the Pocatello and Meridian campuses, an ISU news release said.

“We are very excited about the incredible experiences and leadership that Dr. Smith brings to ISU,” said Rex Force, ISU vice president of health sciences.

Smith received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Washington and subsequently received her doctorate from the University of San Diego. She is currently with the Bureau of Navy Medicine at the Defense Health Headquarters in Falls Church, Va., serving with the rank of captain.

She previously held academic appointments at the University of South Alabama and Point Loma Nazarene University. She also has held leadership positions with the Veterans Administration, the release said. “Her diverse nursing background includes several deployments to active military action to Iraq and Afghanistan and maternal/child, trauma, school and post-operative nursing,” the release said.